Compulsive liars - only child syndrome

[laissez-faire]

I live with a compulsive liar. 95% of the things that come out of his mouth are b/s. He claims he has a heart condition when he's not the centre of attention, is constantly playing up his family wealth even though he's really not that rich, says his father is going to buy him a Porsche etc, that he has his own PLANE - it's all rubbish.

Then about a month ago was talking with one of my best friends from uni about his flatmate and I was saying how so much of what his flatmate does is similar to mine. We then realised they were both only childs.

Now just speaking to one of my best friends from home who has been living with someone for a month and has just realised most of what she said was utter b/s - she too is an only child.

I've done a bit of googling and not found that much - anyone have experience to offer of this?

 

[laissez-faire]

I hardly think the OP is saying that all single children are compulsive liars. More that most compulsive liars are single children.

I guess this may make sense, since there isn't anyone to ask. If you've both children and a friend says something outragous, you wouldn't ask their parents if it was true. But if they had a brother/sister, you would be able to ask them, and they would call bs.

That's an aspect i'd never considered.

My theory was that if you were an only child and you told a lie that your parents would just know it was a lie for sure and then not really get that cross - parents aren't anything like as harsh on children as siblings.

If I broke something and then told my parents it was brothers then they would have made it hell for me I can tell you - so I got that 'telling lies will only haunt you in the future' message pretty soon.

 

[laissez-faire]

Yeah it's just so boring. He used to tell me he was an amazing skiier then one day when there was actually snow in Glencoe I said we were going and he was just like 'oh yeah, I haven't skied for a long time because actually I had a really bad skiing accident when I was good and I'm afraid it will happen again'. He so obviously can't ski.